For more than half a century, people have flocked to Marge’s Lakeside Inn in Irondequoit for libations and zany fun and gorgeous sunsets over Lake Ontario.

But the story of this Sea Breeze institution goes back beyond that.

Back in the supposedly dry days of Prohibition, the owner of the place that became Marge’s ran a speakeasy, serving booze that came by boat from Canada and beer that he brewed in his basement.

The party has been going on for a long time at Marge’s, with no signs of slowing down. The place has Marge's Christmas Extravaganza planned for Dec. 16 and they are open year-round.

Located near the northernmost point of Culver Road, Marge’s is tucked away among the beachfront cottages of Sea Breeze, across from the area’s famed Hot Dog Row. You ascend a flight of concrete steps to get in, past an oversize golf ball on a tee out front. It doesn’t take long to pick up the good-times vibe and the comparisons to a Key West bar, even this time of year.

Inside, it’s a cornucopia of kitsch. Fishnets hanging from the ceiling are filled with “nostalgic trinkets,” as the business website says. A jukebox is stacked with oldie tunes. Regulars break out the “Boom Pa,” a homemade musical instrument shaped like a pogo stick and adorned with cymbals, tambourine and wood block, joined by others on maracas and washboard.

The jukebox at Marge's Lakeside Inn has an eclectic mix of music which includes many oldies.(Photo: Annette Lein, Yes-GRN)

You can take your drinks out on the beach, while you watch the sun go down over the lake (weather permitting, of course).

The place is run by Fran Beth and her daughter, Francine. There’s no Marge, not anymore (she died in 1995), but plenty of newbies have mistakenly called Fran by that name.

Marge Beth was her mother-in-law. She bought the place in 1960 and ran it with her sons, Ron and Gerry. Ron Beth, Fran’s husband, took over 15 years later and ran it until he died in 1986. Now it’s up to Fran and Francine to carry on the tradition, and they certainly do.

As the website states, “For over 80 years, patrons have lifted their spirits and drowned their sorrows here.” Jeff Spevak wrote in a 1990 Democrat and Chronicle story that for decades, “Tropical-island sensibilities and unique characters have collected like driftwood on the Lake Ontario beach.”

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Fran Beth folds back the tarp holding sand that was given to her by the Town of Webster and which she will use to fill sandbags to prevent flooding at her home in Webster. The levels of water have been rising around her house which is down the road from Marge's Lakeside Inn on the Irondequoit side of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge.(Photo: CARLOS ORTIZ / @cfortiz_dandc/staff photographer)

There was plenty of that during the ultra-rainy spring this year. Lots of water, too, as Lake Ontario gulped up much of the beach and creeped close to the beloved old beach house that is Marge’s. In a testament to their affinity for the place, patrons showed up to help lay sandbags.

Marge's website reminds customers, "We are OPEN YEAR ROUND….MEANING No, we don’t close in the Winter!" And of course, there is a warning about bringing proper ID.

The place celebrated its 57th anniversary this year. Someone might even have broken out the Boom Pa.